Poll - Sport Fishing and Salmon Stocks

[Gooey Bob]

I'll gladly concede a draw and move on to more inspiring topics.

But first, I think I'll head out and see if I can get a feeder or two that fits my personal standard - about 10-14lbs!

I love fishing, and I've been having some of the best days of my life the past few years BUT it has always had more to do with the company I keep and the environment I fish in, rather than tubs full of fish. This year though, JDF cooperated with both! I'm looking at photos from late August right now and trying to figure out what was wrong. It all looked pretty good to me...

One final thing, if you knew me personally, you'd know my loyalties lie with my family, my friends, and the fish - in that order.

Tight lines and BIG springs...

Gooey

 

[Gooey Bob]

Thanks CA - it makes my 15 straight years of active involvement seem a little more worthwhile to hear someone actuaslly suppoprt the process whose job it is to "advise" DFO on what the needs of our sport are![:I]

Salmon management is NOT easy. I particvipate anddo my part because I love the sport, and because I find for the most part folks who derive the living from salmon (sporties & comms alike) are decent folk who love the sea.


Gooey

 

[Red Monster]

How about those Canucks!

Thanks for the info and effort, GB.

 

[Degree of Freedom]

Good arguements from both sides of the debate! F.M. mentioned the herring...good point. I grew up in Lantzville, fishing the ECVI coho that were in huge numbers from May through the end of October until the early 1990's. The tactic of choice for the most succesfull was strip-casting/motor mooching with raked herring. I've been in Edmonton since 2000, moved back last year. I took my dad for a boat ride out to Grey Rock this summer to see if anything had improved over the past several years....not one herring to be seen.
I now live in Parksville, and witnessed the herring fishery this year...holy s***t do those boys lay an a**kicking on those spawning herring.
My dad's favorite saying was always 'no bait, no fish'...if we were at a spot, and there was no herring, we'd move on until we found them. It's no wonder there's no ECVI coho...there's nothing for them to eat!

 

[Pablo2079]

My thinking behind raising the minimum size limit for all salmon (including Springs) was to stop people from targetting the small ones. I believe there are things we can do to avoid the smaller ones

1) Use larger lures

2) Use larger hooks

3) Fish in locations where the immature fish aren't known to be congregating.

I believe people would adjust their fishing because the small ones would then become a hassle to them. They can't keep them, so they would try and avoid them.

I agree that ocean survival is one of the keys to improve our fishery as well. This is an important point. However, if we increase the number of fish in the "pool" then it should result in more spawners later, even with the poor survival.

Definitely needs more study.... glad that we can have this discussion. Sounds like everyone agrees that the inside fish all need help (no matter the species).

 

[Rum Buddies]

quote:I believe people would adjust their fishing because the small ones would then become a hassle to them. They can't keep them, so they would try and avoid them.

You'd think so but from what I've read it seems like many anglers really enjoy catching a lot of small fish, even if they can't keep them.

 

[Benjamin Caunt]

E

 

[scott craven]

quote:Originally posted by Poppa Swiss

quote:I believe people would adjust their fishing because the small ones would then become a hassle to them. They can't keep them, so they would try and avoid them.

You'd think so but from what I've read it seems like many anglers really enjoy catching a lot of small fish, even if they can't keep them.

it's common to get winter springs in the 15-20 lb range
in fact there were some caught last week.
Winter anglers(for the most part) are not chasing 4lb fish.
but sometimes they get in the way of catching the bigger ones !

 

[battaglino]

I didn't even know there was a limit on the # of Springs per year. Since we only go up for a week or two we don't usually run into that problem but from the people I know that fish all the time up on WVI I know they keep a hell of a lot more than the 20 fish. The Annual limit should be reduced who needs more than 10 springers a year. Keep the limits down for a 4 year peroid then reassess. I also think they should treat the salmon like they do trout down here you catch it you own it no more upgrading that way you would reduce the fish killed on release. Just thoughts it is so frustrating not knowing what will work after last year I wonder it it is too late.

 

[fishin_magician]

quote:Originally posted by battaglino

I didn't even know there was a limit on the # of Springs per year. Since we only go up for a week or two we don't usually run into that problem but from the people I know that fish all the time up on WVI I know they keep a hell of a lot more than the 20 fish. The Annual limit should be reduced who needs more than 10 springers a year. Keep the limits down for a 4 year peroid then reassess. I also think they should treat the salmon like they do trout down here you catch it you own it no more upgrading that way you would reduce the fish killed on release. Just thoughts it is so frustrating not knowing what will work after last year I wonder it it is too late.

If you look at your license, you'll see the annual limit for springs is the number of slots on your license that you have to record in ink.

That was one of my points...there's people there fishing for more than just their family....it's about meat!

 

[battaglino]

I agree about the meat fishermen. We just come up for 2 to 3 weeks a year so we never have gone over our limit and we have plenty of fish for the 3 of use and we eat salmon twice a week. I was up with someone that I had met on this site and they went out everyday for 10 days and caught limits. I could not figure that one out how he got away with that. We where happy to have our 4 springs and 4 silvers. He must of had 40 salmon that he kept in that 10 days. We do need more enforcement personal.

 

[Rum Buddies]

quote:He must of had 40 salmon that he kept in that 10 days. We do need more enforcement personal.

We also need self enforcement - if you are seeing someone do this, speak up! Tell them what you think of their poaching and/or call fisheries with their boat and vehicle info.

 

[Mornin Chubby]

I would have to say much more enforcment. Full fuction of the nitnat hatchery would be nice, need more money they say, well start wrighting fines out to poachers and direct the funds back to the fisheries. Check Coolers at the U.S, border. Where's all the fish cops[?]

 

[Pablo2079]

Not sure how your could get the US Border Patrol to go along with checking for possesion limits, but if you could.... it would be a great deterrent.

 

[battaglino]

I have had them ask me what I had caught and in theory they could check not that they do. They have enough problems looking for BC buds.

Papa swiss the problem is that if you confront someone they will make trouble for you (screw with your boat ect.) if there where more enforcement people I would probably tell them or if there is a toll free number to report the excess limits. The other problem is that you are guessing that they are overfishing you see them out there everyday and they have limits everyday but how does one prove this. The other way is that they send the limits home with others in there party to avoid the possiation limit. It is a problem that will never be solved.

 

[Brisco]

What about the people at China Creek Resort? Some have permanent trailer spots and fish everyday for months. I saw them bring the limit of sockeye in and send them off to town with familly etc.Also some guide without licence.

 

[fishin_magician]

quote:Originally posted by brisco

What about the people at China Creek Resort? Some have permanent trailer spots and fish everyday for months. I saw them bring the limit of sockeye in and send them off to town with familly etc.Also some guide without licence.

THIS is EXACTLY what I'm talking about.

It's not about "personal consumption", it's about "let me fish everyone I know and then some and fish out the ocean, and give fish away back at the office and neighbours, etc. etc. "

Let's see...even if you do 10 weekends a summer, with a possession limit of 8 fish per trip per individual, looks to me like that's more fish that you could ever eat in a year.

 

[battaglino]

Amen magic catch enough for you family no for everyone.

People just want to catch as many fish as they can it is very addictive. Maybe there needs to be annual limits on every type of salmon. I know we have to mark all the species of salmon on out card in the states.

 

[Mornin Chubby]

Last year I ran into some guests I had successfully guided the year before in the Nootka area. I asked where they were fishing this year.
I was told that they hired a guide in thier home state of Washington. They were on thier way to Tahsis.
Whats going on here? After asking around about this activity I found that there is alot of this going on. I thought there was a law about out of country fisherman guiding in Canadian waters. once again no enforcment. If you look hard enough you can even find advertisments promoting this.

 

[1stLite]

This has been going on for years in barclay sound and ucluelet.They just have their customers agree to it if they get checked they are not a paying customer.